Media of Afghanistan
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The mass media in Afghanistan includes printing, broadcasting, and
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals ** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...
. It is mainly in
Dari Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī  ...
and
Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
, the official
languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
of the nation. According to the Attorney General's Office of Afghanistan, "there are 1,879 active media outlets in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
which were called one of the main achievements of the country in the past 18 years." Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, there is a concern that there will be a significant decrease in mass media in Afghanistan.


Media history

The first newspaper, ''Shams-i Nahar'' (Morning Sun) was published in 1873 during the rule of
Sher Ali Khan Sher Ali Khan (); c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. Life Sher Ali Khan ...
. Another newspaper, ''Siraj-ul-Akhbar'' (Lamp of the News) was initially published on January 11, 1906, with Abdul-Rauf as editor. After this first and only issue in
Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken an ...
, its publication stopped. It was revived in October 1911 by
Mahmud Tarzi Mahmud Tarzi ( ps, محمود طرزۍ, Dari: محمود بیگ طرزی; August 23, 1865 – November 22, 1933) was an Afghan politician and intellectual. He is known as the father of Afghan journalism. He became a key figure in the history of ...
, the editor and owner of the newspaper who was critical of the friendship between the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
and Afghanistan. Mahmud Tarzi became known as the pioneer of Afghan
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...
, in 1916 he famously wrote: "Siraj Al Akhbar Afghaniya is neither British, nor Russian nor French nor Italian nor German nor Chinese or Japanese. It is a Muslim newspaper and, in that, it is specifically an Afghan newspaper. Whatever it says, whatever melody it sings, is from an Afghan point of view and stems from the tone of Afghan national dignity." In 1919, under
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...
Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...
, ''Aman-i-Afghan'' (Afghan Peace) replaced ''Siraj al-Akhbar'', serving as an organ of the government, while several smaller private journals appeared under different ministries.Saikal, A., Farhadi, R. & Nourzahanov K. ''Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival.'' I.B.Tauris, 2006. . Along with these developments, Radio Kabul began broadcasting in 1925, which inaugurated a new era of mass media in the country. The 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan and the Press Law of 1965 provided for freedom of the press, within the boundaries of appropriate behavior. The 1960’s saw a rapid growth of television services around the world, including most developing countries. The conceptual foundation of Television in Afghanistan to improve literacy rate and specific technical recommendation for initial launch was first published in 1967 by Dr. Hafiz Sahar, Chief Editor of national morning newspaper, in his academic work in New York University. It was not until 1978, due to political instability in 1970’s, that the first TV channel was launch in Kabul with a grant aid from Japan. The press was editorially independent from government but was instructed to safeguard the interests of the state and constitutional monarchy,
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, and public order. Afghan journalism progressed and developed from the 1950s through to the 1970s, though it remained limited. When King Zahir Shah's government was overthrown in the 1973 coup by his cousin
Daoud Khan Mohammed Daoud Khan ( ps, ), also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan (18 July 1909 – 28 April 1978), was an Afghan politician and general who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup ...
, approximately 19 newspapers were shut down and media came under severe restriction, ending a period of relative freedom.Afghanistan media
''Press reference''.
The first color television broadcasting appeared in 1978. The media fell into the control of Soviet influences during the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA),, renamed the Republic of Afghanistan, in 1987, was the Afghan state during the one-party rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from 1978 to 1992. The PDPA came to power ...
from 1979 to 1992. Media under the
Taliban government The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is a theocracy and an emirate with political p ...
was characterized by strict media laws, including the banning of television. The Taliban instigated the destruction of television sets in 1998.Dartnell, M. Y. ''Insurgency Online: Web Activism and Global Conflict.'' University of Toronto Press, 2006. . People caught with a television in their homes were subject to monetary fines,
flogging Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
, or imprisonment. Most media operated from other countries, except for a small area in northern Afghanistan, which had its own television service called ''Badakhshan Television''. It broadcast news and films for around 5,000 viewers for three hours a day.World of Information. ''Middle East review 2003/04.'' Kogan Page Publishers.. All television stations were shut down in 1996 by order of the Taliban, and printed newspapers were forbidden to publish commentary, photos, or readers letters. The radio stations under Taliban control broadcast nothing other than religious programs and selected news. Around 70% of the population listened to its broadcasts. In 2000, the Taliban government launched ''The Islamic Emirate'', an English-language newspaper designed to counteract information produced by the "enemies of Islam". Only
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
had news bureaus based in
Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
due to instability. The Kabul TV center was converted into a military
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
, and journalists were not permitted to work with foreign media. The media environment remained bleak until the overthrow of the Taliban government in late 2001. The Afghan media has experienced a rapid growth during the
Karzai administration Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Republ ...
, with dozens of TV stations being established around the country. Some of these include Tolo, Ariana Television Network, Lemar, Shamshad, and the state-owned
Afghanistan National Television Afghanistan National Television ( prs, تلویزیون ملی '' Telvizoon-e Milli Afganistan'', ps, ملی تلویزیون ''Da Afganistan Milli Telvizoon'') is the state-owned television channel in Afghanistan. It is part of the Radio Televi ...
(RTA). Over two hundred radio stations have also been established. As of 2019, there are over 1,000 newspapers, magazines, and other print media. All media flourished under Afghanistan's new rules, though journalists do undergo
self-censorship Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or insti ...
; penalties are still in place for defaming individuals and running material contrary to the principles of Islam. Some government officials have used their positions to maintain their own communications facilities, as national and local governments own or control several dozen newspapers and many electronic media outlets.Afghanistan country profile
.
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unit ...
(2006). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...
.''
A 2004 media law prohibits censorship, but requires registration of periodicals with the Ministry of Information and Culture; in 2005 some 250 periodicals were registered. International organizations have bee
training new journalists
since the fall of the Taliban. However, due to instability in Afghanistan, journalists have been as highly targeted as soldiers, as shown by instances of kidnapping and death threats. An NGO named Nai (meaning flute, an important symbolic instrument for broadcasting) tracks violence against journalists with its Media Watch Data. More than 100 journalists also protested a raid on a private TV station which drew concern of further government interference in reporting. One of Afghanistan's largest independent news agencies is Pajhwok Afghan News, which was founded in 2004 by Afghan journalists who worked with the
Institute for War and Peace Reporting The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) is an independent nonprofit organization that claims to train and provide publishing opportunities for professional and citizen journalists. History IWPR was founded in 1991 under the name Yugofax. ...
. It has reporters in nearly every province, and publishes stories online in English, Dari and Pashto. Bakhtar News Agency, another wire service, is run by the Afghan government. Although many fewer Afghan women than men work as journalists, female Afghan reporters and editors are increasingly making their voices heard not just on traditionally "feminine" topics like education and health, but on larger issues affecting Afghanistan, such as the tension between tradition and modernity.
Shukria Barakzai Shukria Barakzai ( ps, شکريه بارکزۍ) is an Afghan politician, journalist and a prominent Muslim feminist. She was the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Norway. She is a recipient of the International Editor of the Year Award. Early lif ...
founded the weekly bilingual ''Women's Voice'' to campaign for
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...
. She was elected to the House of the People (or ''Wolesi Jirga'', the lower house of the
National Assembly of Afghanistan The National Assembly ( ps, , Mili Shura, prs, , Shura-e Milli), also known as the Parliament of Afghanistan or simply as the Afghan Parliament, was the legislature of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It was effectively dissolved when the ...
), and speaks up for hopes that a better and freer press will lead to strong democracy and
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.press freedom Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...
occurred in 2008 when presenter Mohammad Nasir Fayyaz of Ariana Television Network was arrested for criticizing members of the cabinet. He was later released without charge. During the Afghan presidential election, 2009 there were some reports of attacks on press freedom. On April 30, 2018, nine journalists lost their lives in an insurgent bombing in Kabul, the deadliest incident against journalists since 2001. By the end of the year a total of 14 journalists and media workers were killed in Afghanistan. In 2020, journalist Zahra Joya founded Rukhshana Media, the country's first feminist news agency. Most female Afghan journalists were forced to leave their jobs after the takeover.


Newspapers

Afghanistan has nearly 1,500 print media as of 2019. The principal daily newspapers are the state-owned '' Anis'', '' Arman-e Melli'', and the privately owned Afghanistan Group of Newspapers which includes '' The Daily Outlook Afghanistan'' (The first Independent English Newspaper of Afghanistan) and '' The Daily Afghanistan'' in local languages of Dari and Pashto, '' Cheragh'', founded by first Afghan lady journalist Kathreen Wida in December 2003, '' Eslah'', and '' The Kabul Times'' and '' Khaama Press'' and '' Eradeh'', '' Hewad'', '' Ittefaq-e Islam'', and '' Shari'at''. The circulation of independent print publications has been confined primarily to the Kabul region. About 500 publications are now registered in the country.Afghanistan Press Report 2008
, ''Freedom House''.


Magazines

A popular Afghan magazine that was published in the 20th century was the '' Zhvandūn''.


Radio

Radio has long been the most widespread source of information in Afghanistan. Radio broadcasting went into air in 1925 with Radio Kabul being the first station. By the late 1970s nearly every home owned at least one radio, especially in the major cities. As of 2019, the country has 284 radio stations, with AM, FM and
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
,
broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
mainly in Pashto and Dari languages. The
BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the British Government through the Foreign Secretary's office. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception a ...
,
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the State media, state-owned news network and International broadcasting, international radio broadcaster of the United States, United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international br ...
,
Radio Azadi Radio Azadi (formerly Radio Free Afghanistan) is the Afghan branch of the U.S. government's Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) external broadcast services. It broadcasts 12 hours daily as part of a 24-hour stream of programming in co ...
and others broadcast into Afghanistan as an additional source of news, in both Pashto and Dari. There are more than a hundred Radio stations are now broadcasting in Afghanistan. Most of them are only broadcasting in a specific region.


Television

It was reported in 2019 that Afghanistan has 203 television stations, 96 in Kabul and 107 in other provinces of the country. They include local and international channels. One of this is state-owned RTA TV. Satellite and cable television ownership is growing;
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...
widely seen as a leading source of uncensored information. Many global news channels have local bureau's in Kabul, including: CNN, BBC,
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the he ...
, DD News,
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the State media, state-owned news network and International broadcasting, international radio broadcaster of the United States, United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international br ...
and
Aljazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...
. With a combination of Afghan news and political programs, original reality TV shows,
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
movies and American programs like " 24", ARIA TV is the first exclusive channel for children and teenagers, while
Tolo TV TOLO ( fa, طلوع, , sunrise) is a commercial television station operated by MOBY Group in Afghanistan. Launched in 2004, it became one of the first commercial stations in the country and laid the foundation for an accessible media outlet by o ...
is Afghanistan's most watched station. Saad Mohseni, chairman of Tolo's parent company,
MOBY Group Moby Media Group is the largest media company in Afghanistan. Moby Group is privately owned, with headquarters in Kabul and 15 bureaus throughout Afghanistan. The company also has an office in Dubai, where regional business is conducted. History ...
, said Moby's revenues are in the $20 million range and the media company operates at a profit.
Lemar TV Lemar (Pashto:لمر, meaning "sun" in Pashto) is a television station based in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was founded in 2006. It is owned by MOBY Group. The channel broadcasts news, shows, and entertainment programs in the Pashto language. Its ...
, which broadcasts in Pashto language, is a sister channel of Tolo. Another channel that is mostly in Pashto is Shamshad TV, which is owned by another Afghan group.
Sharq TV Sharq or Sharqi, from Arabic and Persian 'East', may refer to: Places *Sharq, Iran *Sharqi, Iran *Sharqi Rural District, Iran * Sharq, Kuwait Other uses * Sharq (TV channel), Afghanistan * Sharq (magazine), ''Sharq'' (magazine), a 1924–1932 Per ...
is also another TV channel that broadcasts in Pashto in the Eastern zone of Afghanistan, it is owned by Shaiq Network. Baano TV is a women-dedicated channel started in July 2017. The channel is available in Kabul & Mazar-e-sharif as well as on all over Afghanistan & middle east via satellite. ABS "Afghanistan Broadcast System" a part of ACG "Asian Consulting Group" start its DTTV service under the trade name of Oqaab. Oqaab ((meaning “eagle” in Dari)),is a digital broadcasting service that allows users to see television in digital format. Digital TV is an advanced television format that provides a much better picture and sound quality when compared to traditional analog television. Users will continue to receive local channels for free while, coming soon, expanded premium channels will be offered for a low month fee. Today many new TV channels start their Broadcasting via ABS (OQAAB). ANAAR TV was the first Digital TV (DTT) which starts its broadcasting on 31 May 2015 dedicated to technology. List of Digital TV channels are including but not limited to Khurshid TV, 1 TV, Shamshad TV, Anaar TV, Harirood TV (Now Afghanistan TV), Hadees TV, 10 TV, Mashal TV, 11TV, Meshrano Jerga TV (Parliament's 2nd TV channel) and Afghanistan Youth TV. Following the
2021 Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan A military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and other allied militants led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan based in Kabul and marked the end of the nearly 20-year-old War in Afghanistan, that had begun following the U ...
there has been increasing censorship of Television on established outlets, On March 17th 2022, The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced an order that all foreign serials and dramas shall be banned from being aired. This led to the arrests of 3 staffers from
TOLOnews TOLOnews (Pashto/ Persian: ) is Afghanistan's first 24/7 news television channel, owned by MOBY Group, launched in August, 2010. Its sister channels are TOLO TV and Lemar TV in Afghanistan. The channel is available on terrestrial across Afghanis ...
, 2 of which were released hours later and one was released a day after. This led to widespread condemnation from Reporters Without Borders,
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
and other organisations both within and outside of Afghanistan. Following the release of all staffers, The Taliban's Secret Service justified this in a statement by saying "Some media outlets were reporting cases that offended the religious sentiments of the community and threatened our national security" and "In addition, the evil and vicious elements were receiving their propaganda material against the state from the contents of these media".


Internet

Digital media increased rapidly in Afghanistan in the last decade. About 2.69 million online users were reported in 2015. Internet access mainly grew through
internet cafe The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
s as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul. A number of
online newspapers An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical. Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
are available, including '' Bakhtar News Agency'', '' Khaama Press'', and '' Pajhwok Afghan News''.


See also

* Communications in Afghanistan *
Pashto media The Pashto media includes Pashto literature, Pashto-language newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, as well as Pashto films and Pashto internet. Pashto media involves the Pashtuns of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Pashtun diaspor ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


List of Afghan newspapers
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...